Underwear

Long before they sat down to write books, Charles Falco and George Rowe sold drugs and used them, raising hell as poor white guys in the desert small towns and exurban fringes of Southern California. They roamed with "tweakers" (meth addicts) and exploited them for cash. But both Falco and Rowe saw the light. Eventually they joined the "good guys" in a crusade against the meanest, cruelest purveyors of darkness in their communities - the biker gangs that collectively share the name Vagos.

Is it still a wardrobe malfunction if almost no wardrobe is involved in the malfunction? Miley Cyrus was a case in point Sunday night in Milwaukee when she went on stage wearing only a bra and panties. Nice, matching bra and panties, but undies nonetheless. The singer herself explained on Twitter afterward what had happened: "not a new outfit for 23 I didn't make my quick change and I couldn't not come out for the song so I just had to run out in my undies :(" PHOTOS: Celebrity wardrobe malfunctions "Never happened to me before.

In what might embarrass less adventurous souls, astronaut Koichi Wakata is returning to Earth with the pairs of underwear he wore for a solid month during his space station stay so that scientists can check them out. They are experimental high-tech undies, designed in Japan to be odor free. The Japanese astronaut described his underwear test Thursday as shuttle Endeavour and its crew aimed for touchdown this morning.

WestJet quizzed passengers on what they wanted for Christmas, then gave two planeloads of people what they asked for. Thomas the Tank Engine, an Android tablet, a 50-inch TV. And socks and underwear for that one guy who now has the sympathy of countless viewers. In a recent promotion ("Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good flight"), the Canadian air carrier set up a screen at airports in Toronto and Hamilton, Canada. Fliers could scan their boarding passes and talk to a virtual Santa. He asked with a ho, ho, ho what they wanted for Christmas. "A choo-choo train," said one boy. "A big TV," his parents said.

Those sultans of style at Al Qaeda have released their line of lingerie for spring and it's a blast. Tucked away in their secret atelier in Yemen, the fanatics of fashion have come up with an updated version of the exploding underwear that caused such a stir on Christmas Day 2009 when a hapless African lad tried to blow up an airliner over Detroit and only managed to severely singe his private parts. Al Qaeda bomb maker Ibrahim Hassan Asiri is reputed to be the designer of the new nasty knickers.

At a Beverly Hills party hosted by British lingerie maker Agent Provocateur, shoppers in gravity-defying heels mingled with models strapped into contraptions of lace and crystals. Circulating among guests at the Rodeo Drive store Tuesday was Garry Hogarth, chief executive of the "bra and knickers" company, who enthusiastically expounded on how women's views on underwear have evolved from practicality to indulgence. "Nowadays, women wear lingerie as outerwear," Hogarth said, gesturing toward a black lace corset dangling from a hanger.

The presidential campaign has placed a spotlight on the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “The Book of Mormon” musical is pushing the religion to the forefront of pop culture. And with Ann Romney's recent appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” semi-secret Mormon undergarments are no longer so secret. Not that Mrs. Romney's underwear was showing. But the fact that it didn't show under her sleek, knee-grazing skirt stirred up debate among some members of the faithful about whether she was or wasn't wearing the “temple garments” required for most adult Mormons.

MIDWEST CITY, Okla. -- An unemployed woman who said she was desperate for money has been arrested on charges she robbed an Oklahoma McDonald's with a white stretch girdle wrapped around her face as a makeshift mask. Authorities said 51-year-old Sharon Lain of Midwest City admitted to being the underwear-masked bandit who made off with the contents of a cash drawer from the fast-food restaurant around 3 a.m. Tuesday. A surveillance video captured the woman on tape and was broadcast on local television, prompting several tips that led police to a condemned home on Wednesday night where Lain was found living, said Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes.

THE MOVIE: "Truth or Dare." THE SETUP: Documentary on the singing pop icon Madonna, filmed onstage and off during her 1990 "Blond Ambition" tour. THE LOOK: There's Madonna at-home (well, at her hotel) in a white terry bathrobe wrapped over satin boxer shorts, black long-line bra and the requisite crucifix. There's Madonna on a date (with Warren Beatty) dolled up in a short-short black slip dress, cross and daisies--yes, daisies--and wearing her hair in a French twist.

The chief executive of teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch is known for his exacting attention to detail. That apparently extends to how toilet paper should be folded and what underwear his staff wears. Those tidbits are included in a manual spanning more than 40 pages included as part of an age discrimination lawsuit filed by former company pilot Michael Bustin. The 55-year-old is accusing the clothier of firing him to make way for a youthful pilot that matches the company's brand.

Miranda Kerr might be the second-highest paid model in the world, but don't be intimidated: She's really all about balance, professionally and personally. "My life is more balanced than ever," she says in the November edition of Cosmopolitan . "There was so much rejection in the beginning. Models are some of the most insecure people I've ever met. They're constantly being told they're not good enough. You've really got to practice loving yourself. " One way she does that on a personal level is by mixing the good with the slightly bad. PHOTOS: Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2012 "I believe in a balance and I try to live my life that way," she says in a behind-the-scenes video of her cover shoot (above)

SACRAMENTO - Citing evidence of doctor shortages, treatment delays and "denial of basic necessities, including clean underwear," a federal judge on Thursday ordered an in-depth probe of conditions at prison-based mental health facilities run by the California Department of State Hospitals. U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton has been overseeing mandated improvements of care for mentally ill prisoners throughout California, treatment that the courts 18 years ago deemed so substandard as to be unconstitutional.

This year marks the 100th birthday of the T-shirt. Maybe. It's clear the simple little garment has been around for many, many years and rose in popularity just as fashion was losing some of its starch. But no one knows exactly when the T-shirt as we know it was born. What we do know is that in 1913, the U.S. Navy brought tees into public consciousness in a big way when it ordered a "light undershirt" for sailors to wear beneath their uniforms. Americans were likely taking their cue from European soldiers who had begun sporting lightweight cotton undergarments. But online T-shirt maker CustomInk, for one, has seized on the Navy's 1913 endorsement of the garment to trumpet the T-shirt's century mark, as well as round up its own list of iconic T-shirts through the ages.

If you are traveling alone, find a restaurant where you can eat at the bar. You can talk to the other people and to the bartender. Better than reading at a table by yourself. Kathleen Milnes Pacific Palisades Always carry an extra pair of socks and underwear in your carry-on bag. That way, you're somewhat prepared if the airline loses your luggage. Bridget Regea North Hollywood Whether it is for domestic or international travel, carry an extension cord. This helps if you have multiple devices that need charging and means you have to access that inconvenient wall outlet only once instead of over and over.

Oh, Gwyneth Paltrow, even being humiliated looks good on you! Paltrow got down with some girl talk on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Friday when the host brought up the dramatic, see-through dress the "Iron Man 3" star rocked at the Hollywood premiere Wednesday night. You know the one . It was sheer down the sides from waist to toes? Ellen tried to be genteel about it, but Gwyneth was more direct. PHOTOS: 50 most beautiful female celebrities "I think there's questions here," said the host, "and the question to me is ... " "Why is her [booty]

H&M released some stills from filmmaker Guy Ritchie's new ad campaign for David Beckham Bodywear. The tongue-in-cheek ads cast Beckham as an action hero, being chased through Beverly Hills, wearing briefs and, strangely, bedroom slippers. “David is the perfect leading man,” Ritchie said in materials sent around to the media on Thursday. “For me, this felt like more than a campaign - it was like directing a short film.” The ad campaign begins Feb. 6. Aerie, American Eagle's underwear line, has named "Girls" costume designer Jenn Rogien as its style and fit expert.

Should actresses wear underwear? Admittedly, this is not exactly in my ballpark as an opinionater. I usually deal with weightier fare, such as Earth's near-miss encounter with an asteroid this week. I've also been paying attention to the Lakers' near-miss encounters with the rims Tuesday night in Cleveland, and the Dodgers' near-miss encounter with fiscal sanity lately in spending like drunken sailors on pitchers. But, because my middle name is eclectic (You think that's funny?

A Colorado man thinks he's found a way to protect your private parts from unwanted radiation and government peeping at airports. Jeff Buske of Larkspur is selling tungsten-lined underwear online, with fibers of the X-ray-repelling material strategically placed over the crotch. He says he's seen his sales skyrocket in the last week, since the Transportation Security Administration began rolling out full-body scanners at several airports and conducting aggressive pat-downs of people who refuse to use them.

Should actresses wear underwear? Admittedly, this is not exactly in my ballpark as an opinionater. I usually deal with weightier fare, such as Earth's near-miss encounter with an asteroid this week. I've also been paying attention to the Lakers' near-miss encounters with the rims Tuesday night in Cleveland, and the Dodgers' near-miss encounter with fiscal sanity lately in spending like drunken sailors on pitchers. But, because my middle name is eclectic (You think that's funny?

Well, Anne Hathaway, that's one way to drum up interest in the French Revolution. Tom Hooper's "Les Miserables" saw its New York City premiere on Monday ahead of the musical's Christmas Day release, and star Hathaway forgot a rather important decoration: her underwear. In a black Tom Ford creation with a constructed back and dramatic slit, Annie had herself a wardrobe malfunction while climbing out of her car at the Ziegfeld Theatre: She revealed to photographers that she wasn't wearing any underwear.